After Fracture
by Dysentia
Summary: Two Pilots barely escape Demeter's destruction.
1. Chapter 1

They both stood there, each holding a gun to the other's heads. The man, clad in camouflaged Kevlar plates and holding a light-machinegun, stood steady, even as the ground shook and voices from his radio shouted at him to retreat. Opposite him, a woman in white armour and wielding a submachine gun, was panting heavily, the bodies of several Militia troopers behind her.

"Damn it! Adam!" a voice shouted over the radio. "The pilot's not risking a pick up. You're on your own!"

"What?!" The man cried out, shocking the woman into almost pulling the trigger.

"Don't move!" She demanded, pushing her gun a tad bit closer to him. To his credit, the man didn't even flinch, just sighed sadly.

"…You might as well shoot." He admitted sadly. "Even if I kill you or you kill me, neither of us are getting off of this planet."

"Bullshit, the IMC won't just abandon people like that." The woman growled.

"They already have… Both sides have begun to retreat." He gave a humourless chuckle. "Hell even my ride out of here just jumped clear."

The woman lowered her weapon. It pained her to admit it, but the IMC fleet was currently commanded by an AI. And they usually weigh the odds based on logic, rather than emotion.

"How long?" she asked, her voice just above a whisper.

"By my count, we've barely got two minutes, tops." He answered.

To her left, she could see ships landing and lifting off in the distance. Likely fuel tankers on a suicide run for the valuable substance. Wait, ships?

"Get up, we're not dead yet." She barked at the man. Not waiting for his response, she already took off running and had already jumped onto a nearby wall, squeezing every bit of speed out of her jump-kit.

To Adam's credit, he caught up quick. While the woman was fast, she was still a bit raw when it came to using the jump-kit. Sprinting alongside her, he decided to ask about the plan.

"Those tankers are probably piloted by MARVs, we get there, shove them out of the way and get the hell out of here!" She shouted over the rushing wind.

"Sounds good!"

The two slid onto a landing pad with only a half-minute remaining. Slamming into the hull, Adam grasped an airlock door and yanked it open, only for the woman to squeeze in before him. A dull thud echoed in the small chamber as Adam sealed the door, allowing the woman to jam her Data-knife into the console and override the compression.

The interior door slid open and the two pilots bolted for the cockpit. Adam yanked a MRVN robot out of the helm, barely registering the sad face on its chest monitor, while his new friend took buckled up in the co-pilot.

"Fifteen seconds!" She announced, sheer panic entering her voice.

"Come on, you stupid thing!" Adam cursed, trying to get the ship to move. "Work for fuck's sake!" he slammed a fist down on the console, causing it to whir to life.

"Ten seconds!"

Adam routed all the power to the jump-drive and engines, ignoring the warnings about life-support. Towards the back of the ship, he could hear the drive building power and jammed the throttle forward whilst yanking the flight-stick back.

"Five!"

The edges of their vision began to blur as the drive reached full power.

"Four!"

In a split second, the sky vanished and was replaced by an uncountable amount of stars against an endless void. Despite the seemingly calm visage, Adam kept the throttle at full power, recalling the warnings from the briefing about the explosion.

"Three!"

The thruster warnings were beginning to blink, so Adam pulled back the thrust a little and turned on power to the rest of the ship.

"Two!"

Adam turned the ship so that they had a view of the unfolding event.

"One."

On the side of the planet, another star was born, just as bright but only lasting for a second. Even from their distance, they could see the shockwave ripple through Demeter's atmosphere. Cracks formed in the crust following the shockwave, tearing entire chunks of the planet free. Within a minute, there would be nothing left of the planet but rocks in an abyss.

Adam barely registered the slight clattering to his left before his helmet was yanked off of his head and was pulled into a heated kiss. His eyes quickly widened before he settled into the kiss, settling his hands on the woman's hips and pulling her closer.

* * *

Eve couldn't believe what she was doing.

Not even a minute after they had escaped an exploding planet and here she was making out with what should be her enemy. But it didn't matter to her now, after that death scare she wanted nothing more than to enjoy life. Even if that included ravishing the, admittedly handsome, man whom she almost killed.

Without breaking their lips apart, he pulled her on top of him so she was straddling his waist. One of his hands slid up and down Eve's lithe back, sending shivers down her spine as she dove in deeper. The man slid his other hand downwards towards her behind and gave it a firm squeeze, causing the IMC pilot to gasp in sudden pleasure. He then took this opening to plunge his tongue into her mouth, wrapping it around her own.

Eve couldn't stop the whimper of pleasure as the man explored her mouth, his tongue brushing over hers and licking over gums. Without even realising it, she ground her crotch into his, eliciting a similar groan of pleasure from him. However, the good times had to end as Eve felt her lungs burning from a lack of air.

As much as it pained her to, Eve had to break away from the make-out session to soothe her aching lungs, a strand of saliva briefly stretching between them. Panting like a dog, her breath misting in the cool air, Eve leaned down into the Militia pilot to rest her head on his broad chest and listened to it thumping like a drum.

* * *

Adam had to admit, if this woman had intended to kill him, he would be dead five times over now. Now looking at her rest against his heart, he couldn't possibly see her as an enemy. Truth be told, he never had much experience with the fairer half of the human race. Hell it'd almost gotten to the point where he didn't even bother trying anymore.

This train of thought eventually lead him to something they should rather address.

"Y'know, if you want to keep going, I think we should at least know what to call each other, right?" He asked gently. Looking back down at her, he saw her stormy blue eyes peeking through her vibrant red hair and the slight smirk that told him to go first. He chuckled lightly at the unspoken command. "Adam."

Her smirk grew into a full-blown smile, complete with pearly-white teeth, as she briefly shook with inaudible laughter. "I'm Eve."

Adam instantly understood her laughter and even chuffed a little himself.

"You realise that this ship only has one bed… right?" She winked at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and drawing herself closer for quick, chaste kiss against his unshaven face. Adam responded by hooking his arm under her knees and picking her up in a princess carry.

"Then it'd be a shame to let it go to waste." He whispered, latching onto her lips again.

Once the door to the bedroom closed, the MARV that was tossed aside during launch settled back into the pilot seat, a smiley face now emblazoned on its chest.

* * *

AN: Hey people, this is just a little oneshot I came up with some time ago. If enough people like it, I might even write another oneshot continuing for these characters.


	2. Chapter 2

Planet Prosperity – 2 Years after Fracture

Adam looked over his farm, one thousand acres of flat plains and rolling green hills. From his position on top of an old Atlas Titan he could just spy the neighbouring village. It was roughly one-hundred and sixty kilometres away, at least a day's trip by car. Lumbering down the road were four other old Titans, each one dragging a large flatbed of materials. Their destination was his home, sat right at the end of the worn dirt road. It was only a few buildings but it got the job done.

There was the main (his) house, a two story pre-fab building. Next to that were the three smaller houses, where guests and the other farmers lived. They were more rustic looking than his own house, being built from local lumber. And finally there was the 'Garage', a Titan-sized lean-to made out from the gargantuan trees that made up the local forests. Thick industrial chains were suspended from the ceiling of the structure and a small workshop sat off to the side.

Now with the sun beginning to touch the horizon, Adam popped the Atlas' hatch and settled in the pilot's seat. There was a quick flash from the screens lighting up and the electrical rush through his nerves as the Titan formed a neural link. A moment later, the feeling passed and he hefted the massive XO-16 Chaingun the Titan was carrying and began walking towards home, the fertile soil breaking and crumbling beneath his feet.

A half-hour later, he gently laid the massive machine-gun down next to the Garage and set the Atlas to idle. The hatch hissed open and he hopped out, gave the Titan a quick once-over and walked out, waving to the other farmers as the other Titans began unloading their freight.

"Hey, Johann!" Adam called out to one of the Titans. "Did'ya get the seeds for tomorrow?"

"Yep!" A man's voice boomed from one of the Titans. "I also got some new toys that should help with that." The Titan hiked a thumb over to one of the flatbeds. Sitting on it was a large plough that looked like it was ripped from an IMC Auto-Farmer. On the next one was a massive seed hopper, modified to be carried on a Titan's shoulders. "What d'ya reckon? We set up one of the Titans with this stuff and that should handle the crops while we get started on that fence."

"That's assuming one Titan can fit and operate them." Adam warned.

"Got it, we'll play it safe and use two."

Their short conversation over, Johann and the others dragged the flatbeds to the centre of the farm and dismounted. Johann was a wiry man with thinning blonde hair and a few nicks and cuts on his features. Jumping to the ground next to him was a woman of oriental descent wearing her dark hair in a bobbed cut.

"Mizuki, who do you think Eve is going to ask to be godmother?" Johann asked his fellow pilot, the widest grin on his face as Adam covered his face with his hand, having seen this bit before. "I heard that Eve was thinking of making Lau-grk!"

Johann was forced grab at his neck as the smaller Mizuki snaked her arms around his neck and held him in a chokehold. "I wouldn't worry about it Joe, everyone knows that I love kids and can kick the ass of anyone who disagrees." Mizuki playfully hissed in his ear.

Adam, being taller than both of them, picked them both up by the collar and dropped them back on the ground. "Ok that's enough you two. Any more and I'll be telling Eve that you're the ones who took her chocolate last month." Both of them paled and looked away. Everyone here knew that Eve was much moodier in the past few months due to her pregnancy. Adam was taking the brunt of it, but just about everyone else conveniently decided that they had other things to do whenever Eve was craving something strange.

"But, Boss." Mizuki whined. "Laura wasn't at the Odyssey Colony evacuating orphans."

"She was also a teacher in Angel City before the Militia tore it up looking for that drunkard." Adam pointed out, and continued before Mizuki could protest further. "So give her a chance to teach some kids in town without the propaganda. Besides, we're not picking godparents before the due date."

Adam sighed and scratched his head. "Look, we have a lot of work to do tomorrow so go get some sleep alright?"

* * *

Inside their cramped prefab, Adam was resting his head against his wife's belly, just waiting for any kind of movement. Then he felt it, a slight pressure against his cheek. It was enough to jerk him up and look at Eve's radiant face in amazement.

"I can still barely believe it, even after all this time." He breathed, resting his hand on her swollen stomach. "That in here is our child, that in a few short months I will be a father."

"And I, a mother." Eve responded, laying her own hand on top of his. "I've been thinking 'Valerie' if it's a girl. Have you thought of a boy's name?"

"I can't narrow it down between Luke, Martin or Greggory." He looked into her eyes again. "What do you think?"

"I think my husband has to make up his mind." As much as it was a slight against him, it was impossible for him to get mad at her when her smile lit up like the sun on a stormy day.

XXXXX

Barely a month after Eve had given birth, Prosperity was dragged into the war. While it wasn't a full blown invasion, there had definitely been sightings of IMC scouts in the area. Sadly it wasn't enough to warrant a permanent Militia garrison, but it was more than enough to put everyone at the farm on edge.

The farm had grown a little over the short time, attracting another family and a few ranchers. They were even able to purchase a small underground bunker with the profits of their first harvest.

Right now, everyone was gathered in Adam's living room watching the local news feed.

"Reports of IMC sightings around the Ares Peninsula have become more frequent. Residents in the area are urged to relocate to Ikarna City, if possible, for safety." The News anchor spoke. "On the war front, The Milita's 5th Fleet has defeated the IMC on the planet Zere, driving them-" The screen cut off as Adam tossed the remote onto the coffee table and rubbing his eyes.

"Ok, so good news and bad news." He let out a deep breath, looking at everyone gathered. "Good news is that we're a small target. Bad news is that we're still a target worth looking at because of our titans." He bit his lip, debating himself if he really should go through with his half-baked plan. But a glance at Eve and their child, Valerie, was enough to steel his resolve. He stood up and looked at everyone in the eye.

"Tomorrow morning, I'm going to leave with my Titan and take the fight to them before the situation gets out of hand."

SMACK!

Adam's head twisted to the side as Eve immediately rose up and smacked an open palm across his cheek with Valerie cradled in her other arm. When he didn't respond and instead looked back at her with a sad smile, she began to tear up and clutched her daughter closer. Eve's sobs intensified as she felt Adam's familiar warm embrace, his scent filling her nose as he gently rocked her back and forth.

"I'm sorry sweetie." He whispered. "But it's my duty as a husband and father to protect my family. I would do it here if it would change anything. But we both know that they won't go away if we just ignore them."

"Then promise me." She whispered back. "Promise me you'll come back." She looked up at him with the fiercest glare he had ever seen on her. Yet he wasn't afraid of her, instead he burned the image of her tear stained cheeks, puffy eyes and the most brilliant blue eyes he'd ever seen into his memory.

"I promise, Eve. I'll come back to you and Valerie."

* * *

The next morning, Johann was waiting for him in his old pilot outfit. Now with the Militia fatigues, Johann cut quite the figure, almost looking like a proper soldier. Over his torso were dented metal plates and a tactical harness that held his sidearm. Slung from his shoulder was an old R-101C Carbine and hanging from his hands was a forest coloured helmet with a glowing blue delta-shaped visor. Towering behind him was his old faithful, an Ogre-class Titan hefting a 40mm Cannon.

Similarly, Adam was wearing his old outfit. A sealed bodysuit, over which was a flak vest, ceramic plated gauntlets and shin guards and his own green helmet with a stylised 'A' painted on. In his hip-holster was his Smart Pistol MK5, a reward he earned after completing his pilot training. On his lower back was his mobility kit, a literal jet engine strapped to his back. Kneeling next to his house was his Atlas-class Titan, its chain gun holstered for the time being.

"Ready to go?" Johann called out taking a puff from his cigarette and letting it fall from his fingers.

"Isn't Mizuki mad you're leaving?" Adam asked, climbing up into his Atlas.

"Of course she is." He stomped on the cigarette. "But after you and Eve had that little scene, there wasn't anything else to say." Johann slipped his helmet on and climbed aboard his Ogre. "Now come on. The faster we get this done, the faster we can come back."

"Yeah, let's get moving."

As the two Titans lumbered away, Mizuki watched from her bedroom window and absently stroked her belly.

* * *

AN: Heya guys, been a while once again huh? Honestly I'm out of practice and getting less and less enjoyment out of writing. But every now and then I'll have an idea for a story and I'll write something up. The first few paragraphs of this chapter were written in 2017 and everything else was very recent.


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